When it comes to leadership, the foundation is very simple. A leader is a person who has found enough courage and persistence to set a main goal and purpose for a group. It is that simple: courage and persistence. Notice that I did not say anything about intelligence. It is desirable but not vital. If this seems incredible to you, just listen to the majority of political leaders who are followed by millions of people and you will be able to see for yourself. When we were kids, we would meet our friends after school in the school yard and then wander from corner to corner, suffering from idleness until someone suggested, “Let’s build a fort”, “Let’s play soccer,” or some other activity. If the boy who made the suggestion was able to advance his idea and get others to be in favor of it, then he would become the leader at that particular time. We then had a very meaningful (at least we thought so) activity to engage in, and our game began. Any game was better than no game, and any leader was better than no leader.

From the viewpoint of experience, we could debate the purposefulness of such games, but boys who wander around aimlessly are happy to engage in any activity. Modern culture often offers people very boring games: wrapping your body in a fashionably branded piece of cloth, buying a shiny car to take you places quickly, and building a house with thick walls. But the most talented people, even if they cannot dream of something really large, respond to an interesting or challenging game offered, even if it goes beyond their usual daily routines. If you create an important goal and attractive purpose, it inspires those who still have a taste for life.

The first role of a business owner is to create an inspiring main goal and a clearly defined purpose. It is the very first thing you need to do, no matter whether you’ve already started out on your journey as a Vaishya or you are one of those rare people who have survived the civilized world as a Kshatriya.

A business owner, along with all other company employees, is, of course, part of a group. Every group member fulfills his own particular responsibility as a salesperson, an accountant, a process engineer, et cetera. An organization is a system whose members perform specific functions. A salesperson works with customers; an accountant handles financial transactions and maintains records; an engineer develops new processes and monitors their compliance. In this system, the owner plays a special role. His function is to establish goals that will unite the entire group. But in this capacity, he may encounter a trap that is easy to fall into.

As I discussed in the previous chapter, every person has his or her own individual goals. Only people completely disappointed in life do not have goals. Every salesperson and accountant dreams of a new house, a car, a cruise, a special gift for a loved one, and a business owner is no exception. Just like the others, he has his own personal goals that he dreams of achieving. He dreams about amassing personal wealth, about houses and cars, about comfort and vacations, and about opportunities to do something creative. There are as many goals as there are different kinds of people. And the more capable a person is, the more individualistic his or her aspirations will be.

At the same time, the owner is the only person in the company who is responsible for establishing goals for the entire group. He is the only one whose function it is to establish these goals, and then direct the group’s attention to them. That is where the catch is. The owner can confuse his or her personal goals and dreams with the business’s goals and purposes.